The New York Yankees have been under the microscope all season long, from national media to their own fanbase. That increased during the team’s brutal summer stretch. Each fielding error, base-running blunder, and blown lead resulted in the team, manager Aaron Boone, and general manager Brian Cashman being ridiculed. What they all stressed was that they were still in the playoff picture.

The Yankees, fresh off of two consecutive series wins, had an off-day on Monday. As it turns out, the Yankees can win without even playing. That’s because all of their rivals, whether in the division or in the Wild Card picture, lost on Monday.

The Boston Red Sox lost 6-3 to the Baltimore Orioles and the Seattle Mariners were defeated 12-7 by the Philadelphia Phillies. Because of these losses, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Mariners are all tied in the Wild Card standings.

Yankees benefit from off-day after Red Sox, Mariners, and Blue Jays lose on Monday

But wait, there is more. The Yankees watched the Toronto Blue Jays, who hold first place in the AL East, lose 5-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Because of this, the Yankees are now just five games back of first place in the division. Not only that, but the Yankees are now tied with the Red Sox for second place in the AL East.

The Yankees couldn’t have asked for a better off day. But they need to do the work on the field, too. The Yankees have been far from a clean watch in terms of fundamentals. They have to eliminate the mistakes they, frankly, shouldn’t be making.

Besides the fundamental or in-game management mistakes, one thing the Yankees need to do is to win against division rivals. The Yankees are 14-19 against AL East teams, which is the worst record in the division. That’s unacceptable.

Ironically, the Yankees are playing the Tampa Bay Rays for a two-game series starting on Tuesday. Then, the Yankees return home to take on the Red Sox. These are two pivotal series, so the Yankees need to capitalize off of this off-day. If they don’t, it will be all for naught.